Mixing Cultures and Ingredients

Mixing cultures – Italian Limoncello with an American recipe made with Polish ingredients

Choosing to live overseas comes with some trials and tribulations, many of which are self-induced (some with tears, others with laughter). The view I had envisioned in living overseas was certainly seen through rose colored glasses as I am known to be the hopeless romantic. Living in Europe with all its history, the ease of travel from country to country with different languages, and the varying fresh types of food all seemed so dreamy.

For sure life is different and most days are filled with awe. My first venture in moving was in relocating from my home state of Maine to traveling across the country to settle in Southern California. The palm trees and the never-ending bloom of color drew me. But coming from a state that has a total population hovering around one million to moving to a county that has almost three million was a huge transition. One that I never really adjusted to.

Then we (my husband and I) decide to move to Europe. It was a bucket list thing prompted by my diagnose of Chronic Lyme Disease. As international and cool as I like to think I am there are some things about living overseas that make it a little challenging. That challenge is the ever-impending trip to the grocery store.

Ok so maybe it is totally my fault for moving to a country where I don’t speak the language and where consonants are used three times as much as vowels but the metric system to boot? Google translate has become more than my friend, it is a life line. However, when coming to the metric system and converting ingredients, now that takes it to a whole new level.

From the oven temperature to cups and tablespoons making American recipes in a foreign country has been intimidating. Add on top of that ingredients that are country specific like cream cheese or semi-sweet chocolate chips and you can spiral out of control.

Now, some eighteen months later, before I trek off to the farmer’s market or grocery store I make sure to translate my ingredients list and attempt to change over all of my measurements. So, I have Google Translate for the wording which in Poland can sometimes still be off and now I have found an app on the Google play store for converting the ingredients called Unit Converter. It’s free so if you find yourself romping around a foreign country and decide to cook something you’ll need it.

1/2 Cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut (and a little more for rolling the balls)

1/2 Cup Almond Flour or Almond Meal

1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup – preferably organic

1 Tablespoon Limoncello

1/4 Teaspoon lemon extract

Pinch of salt

In a saucepan melt coconut oil on low heat. Combine all other ingredients in a medium size bowl. Once coconut oil is melted pour it in with the rest of the ingredients and combine with your hands. If the dough is too crumbly add a little more coconut oil to moisten.

Roll the dough into small balls, then roll the balls in some unsweetened shredded coconut to coat. Place the balls on a plate and place in the freezer for one hour.

Adding the melted semi-sweet chocolate bits was a big hit and one I highly suggest. I just place about 1/4 cup of the semi-sweet chocolate bits in a make-shift double boiler and melted.